Entertainment scene

Press, 8 July 1976, Page 16

Entertainment scene

By-

JUDE FAHEY

Although Cannet Heat have been through many changes, sometimes even up to eight-piece with brass, the band that will play in the Christchurch Town Hall on Saturday July 17 harks back to old days. They are five-piece once more and it sounds like a pedigree line-up: FOUNDERS Bob “The Bear” Hite and Fito De La Parra are still in there with Harvey Mandel, their famous old guitarist returned to the fold, The Bear’s brother on bass and an old pupil of the founder, Al “Blind

Owl” Wilson, who died in 1970. Mandel only rejoined last month, replacing Gene Taylor, who dropped out during a European tour in May. Stan Webb JexChicken Shack) stood in and the Heat asked him to stay. Hite said of him: “Stan was really very nice because he has taste, generally, taste in volume. I mean he’d play loud and then he’d turn it down real quiet for vocals, which is nice. Sometimes you get a guitar player who’ll play at 10 all the time.” Webb however had other commitments, with his

present group Broken Glass, the Heat returned to California and looked for another. Their old guitarists, Henry Vestine and Harvey Mandel were the only considerations: Vestine was tied up but Mandel was ready, after working with Jeff Beck and John Mayall and on solo albums during his six years away. The Bear is Canned Heat’s singer, leader and image. He is also known for his massive collection of 80,000 albums and he publishes, with , brother Richard, a collectors’ magazine back home. It was through his col-

lecting — and The Bear managed a record shop — that he met “Blind Owl” and started the Heat around 1965. The drummer De La Parra, a Mexican, was discovered in a small Californian club. His past had included acting in Mexican horror films. The rhythm and slide guitarist of the present group plays country blues much in “Blind Owl’s” style, returning the band once more to its early Mississippi sound.